Again, MAPOLY lecturers begin work-to-rule action

The Academic Staff of Polytechnics, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta chapter, on Monday declared an indefinite work-to-rule action over unpaid four months’ salaries, state of the institution and alleged neglect by the Ogun State Government, among others.

The lecturers disclosed this during a briefing held at the ASUP secretariat located on the campus of the polytechnic.

The lecturers, who spoke through the Zone C Zonal Coordinator of ASUP, Mr Olawale Omoobaorun, said they had decided to take the decision at the congress of the union. They said they were being owed 100 per cent of four months’ salaries between June and September 2018 and 67 per cent of 10 months’ salary arrears, as well as the sum of N72m in part-time claims.

The lecturers also claimed that they wrote letters to the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, as well as the Secretary to the State Government, stating their predicament, but did not get any response from them.

It would be recalled that the academic staff of the institution had initially embarked on a two-month strike in 2017 over an alleged payment of 33 per cent of their monthly salaries. The lecturers had also engaged in a faceoff with the government for carving out the Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, which later transformed to Moshood Abiola University of Technology.

Omoobaorun said, “It is high time we informed the general public and stakeholders about our union’s decision and the state of the 38-year-old polytechnic. As we speak, the state government is yet to pay us a dime in the last four mouths. Also, it is owing us 67 per cent of 10 months’ salaries and N72m part- time claim, among others.”

The lecturers claimed that they still could not tell the real status of the Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, as they had written a letter to the National Board of Technical Education, through the national body of the union, to clarify the issue without getting a reply from the board.

They claimed they wanted to know whether it was true that the NBTE had given approval for the transfer of all accredited courses of MAPOLY to the newly established Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, or not.

The lecturers vowed to continue the work-to-rule action till their demands were met.

Efforts by our correspondent to reach the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota, on the matter, proved abortive, as calls put to her telephone rang out and she did not respond to the text message sent to her, as of the time of filing this report.

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